2019 Innovator of the Year Award:

AstroTurf

AstroTurf Trionic fiber is a feat of chemical engineering never before achieved in the history of our industry. Trionic combines player-friendly PE with ultra-durable nylon using specialized molecular compatibilizers. Throughout the history of the synthetic turf industry, the great quest of manufacturers has been to blend polyethylene (PE) and nylon into a single fiber.

Chemically speaking, PE and Nylon are like oil and water. They do not mix. That's why efforts to mix the polymers into a single fiber have always failed until the development of Trionic. These compounds encase the nylon polymers, which are suspended within the PE to reinforce the fiber. These compatibilizers have an affinity with both the PE and the nylon. They are polar on the inside, and non-polar on the outside. In essence, the compatibilizers bridge the gap.